Malaysia’s Rohingya spend another Eid torn from their families
More than 5,000 Rohingya languish in detention in Malaysia, leaving fathers like Farouk to watch their children grow through a screen
In a quiet suburb of the Malaysian city of Klang, Farouk* scrolls through his phone, replaying videos of a toddler learning to walk, laugh and reach out to steady himself – milestone moments of a son whom he is forced to love through a screen.
Farouk’s wife gave birth in a Malaysian immigration detention centre a day after the family were arrested in early 2024 during an immigration sweep in the city.
Farouk, who provided an alias to protect his family from any potential repercussions in detention, said his wife gave birth to a son he had yet to meet up close.
He was detained in a separate detention block and released a fortnight later because he had a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) identification card, which provides identification and protection against forced repatriation for the stateless Rohingya who have it.
